Kintor Pharmaceutical Limited , a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing innovative small molecules and biological therapeutics, announced that its “clinical trial cooperative research and development and overseas application demonstration of the anti-COVID-19 drug (pruxelutamide, used to be called proxalutamide)” project was selected as one of the Belt and Road Innovation Cooperation Projects and was included in the list of proposed projects for special fund supported by the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Science and Technology (Innovation Support Plan for International Science and Technology Cooperation/Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan Science and Technology Cooperation). Kintor Pharma and Etana, an Indonesian company, developed the project together.
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The fund was built by the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Science and Technology and the Department of Finance. By integrating and allocating resources to improve innovation in the Jiangsu Province, the fund will focus on supporting industrial research and development, innovation, and high-quality development with countries and regions worldwide involved in the Belt and Road project. The Belt and Road Innovation Cooperation Project is required to support international R&D, technology transfer, and overseas demonstrations of projects in the countries involved in the Belt and Road project. The project must also promote technology or products from the Jiangsu Province globally while promoting open cooperation in innovation.
Pruxelutamide’s inclusion in the Belt and Road Innovation Cooperation Project is based on Kintor Pharma and Etana’s collaboration on the clinical development and commercialization of pruxelutamide for the treatment of COVID-19 in Indonesia. The project’s success serves as recognition of Kintor‘s R&D and innovation capabilities. The company will continue to focus on improving its R&D capabilities along with industrial innovation to promote open global cooperation in biotech.
Pruxelutamide is an ACE2 (angiotensin-converting enzyme 2) and TMPRSS2 (transmembrane protease, serine 2) proteins inhibitor that inhibits the entry of the SARS-CoV-2 virus into host cells. For COVID-19 patients with early symptoms, targeting the ACE2/TMPRSS2 signal axis by pruxelutamide could significantly inhibit the entry of the virus into host cells. For severe patients, pruxelutamide promotes the clearance of pathogens and decreases inflammation by activating the Nrf2 pathway, which inhibits the over-production of IL-6, proinflammatory cytokines, and chemokines, thus minimizing cytokine storms and tissues damage.